Do You Believe in Snowmen?
by Lucy Kay
Summary: Annie doesn't believe in that kid stuff anymore. It takes her little sister grating on her nerves and a bit of Christmas magic to remember why that is. And how to rekindle that wonder. My entry for the Holiday Surprises prompt! Animal Parade, as usual.


**A/N:** Hey there, hi there, ho ho ho there – have a one-shot for the season. This was more difficult than I thought it would be, but I'm really happy with how it turned out. Like a new recipe you've never tried: kind of hectic throughout the process but rewarding in the end. Thank you, Durotos, for my assignment of **snowman** _ **–**_ it was a challenge!

I can never pick original names for the farmer's children without them sounding weird to me, so they're named after other farmers in the franchise. Because I like that trend. I was also really tempted to keep the parents as vague as possible, but sorry not sorry, my bias got involved. A gift to myself, lol.

Thank you for reading! Happy Christmas!

* * *

 **Do You Believe in Snowmen?**

* * *

"—and he killed _everybody!_ The end!"

Annie's expression went unchanged, but her little sister's eyes widened in horror. She flinched back as Lucy spread out her arms for dramatic effect. Holly scooted closer, but Annie shoved her away when she tried to hide behind her for protection.

"Fssssh, blood everywhere! SPLAT!" Lucy flicked her fingers at Holly's little face, and she got the desired squeak of fear she intended. Lucy clapped her hands in satisfaction and slumped her shoulders. "Okay, now it's the end."

"Was that last part necessary?" Annie asked with a reproaching smile at her boisterous friend.

"Yeah, was that necessess…ary?" Holly said, too.

"Quit copying me," she poked her sister's forehead in irritation at having an echo. Holly rubbed the spot, frowning.

"That's it? But what happened to him?" Van asked, tapping his shoes together as he thought it over. Annie nodded along in agreement. "He gets to kill everybody in the village and suffers no repercussions? Where are the _police?"_

Vivian wrinkled her nose in distaste like she'd sipped something bitter. "I'm more bothered that the subplot with the snow dog monsters was left inconclusive. What happened to them? Why isn't anybody talking about them?"

"Omigod, I don't know – it's a _story,"_ Lucy blew through her lips in exasperation. Her mood quite sour now, she tucked in her legs – not minding her skirt – and huffed with her chin on her knees. "Why doesn't somebody else tell one if y'all know so much better, huh?"

"I liked it…" Matt piped up, raising his hand as if he had to be called upon during their free time.

Vivian laughed aloud at that. "Oh, please! You hid in your shirt half the time, you big coward."

Affronted, he cried: "I am not! My… my nose was just cold. So I put it in my sweater to get warm. I heard the whole thing. It was scary and… fun."

Vivian meanly twisted his cherubic cheek in teasing. "Yeah, you look like you've had about as much fun as Holly did."

"I liked it a lot!" Holly chirped. Her attitude had quite changed after Lucy's final 'the end.' She was brimming with confidence down to her little pink snow boots. "Rob Frost the Snowman won't get me! My daddy could beat him up, so I'm not scared."

"But you're doomed if you don't leave at least one cookie for him outside. If you give Santa all your cookies instead, Rob Frost will break down your door and chop you up with his axe! Slice!" Lucy demonstrated with an imaginary swing. She proudly smirked. "Your daddy is no match for an axe."

"He is, too!" Holly argued, tears blinking back as her fear resurfaced. If her father couldn't defeat this monster, what could? "Daddy'll kill it!"

"Nu-uh," Lucy goaded. She wasn't about to have her powerful, make believe monster be defeated by some common family man. She stuck to her guns. "Nothing can beat Rob Frost and his mighty axe!"

"Why do your stories always involve axes?" Van accused. Lucy retaliated by blowing hot air at his glasses, fogging them up. He grumpily removed them to wipe them clean, complaining about her germs.

"Daddy could do it, couldn't he?" Holly sniffled at her big sister, looking for support.

Annie rolled her eyes and stood. Holly automatically followed her lead, holding out her hand to be guided, but Annie didn't take it. Instead, she slung her backpack around her shoulders. "Holly, he won't have to fight anyone because there's no such thing as monsters. Don't be so gullible."

Holly quickly grabbed her backpack, too, and ran to catch up with her sister. The other children remained sitting in a circle and briefly waved goodbye to them, going back to their local rural legends.

The schoolhouse was full of warm light behind them as they entered the gloom of chilly winter air. Annie wound her scarf around her hair and pulled up her hood. Holly stuck close to her, the fuzzy top of her beanie bobbing in her peripheral, as they walked down the empty road out of town. They didn't talk.

Winter was piercing. The wind felt like knives tearing through their puffy jackets, biting at their red noses. Annie shuffled along with her head hung low, knowing they'd have to get home before it got much darker, so their parents wouldn't worry. They shouldn't have stayed so long after school listening to silly stories.

After awhile, Holly began humming an old nursery rhyme to herself. Tufts of her blonde hair under her hat caught in the wind as she ran ahead. She was kicking a rock and chasing it along the path. She cut in front of her sister, and Annie growled in annoyance. "Stop it – you're acting like a baby."

Holly stuck her tongue out at her, and Annie glared. She was still mad Annie didn't stick up for her in front of the other kids. They probably thought she was mean, too. But the others didn't understand how frustrating it was to have a little sister, especially one like Holly. She was so spoiled and always begging for attention. Annie was getting sick of it.

Annie powerwalked ahead. Holly's legs weren't as long, and she started to clumsily jog in her clunky boots to keep up. "Hey! Wait up, Annie!"

"Keep up!" Annie called in response, feeling just a tiny bit bad as her sister struggled behind her. Just a tiny bit.

* * *

Their grudge against one another was forgotten as dinner ended, and they had watched a holiday movie. It was getting late, but there was still one more thing to do before they turned in for the night. A favorite tradition of Annie's – if it hadn't been for Lucy's dumb story earlier.

"One! Just one!" Holly begged their mother, bouncing on her feet to try to reach the plate high above her.

Their mother laughed and chided: "Honey, these are for Santa. We have to leave some for him, okay? These cookies show we appreciate all his hard work delivering presents. Besides, you've already had two."

Annie was only half-listening as she tried to finish her drawing. She wanted to leave it as a thank you to Santa, hoping he'd bring that bike she asked for. The one with the tassels on the handlebars she saw at the general store. She chose a yellow crayon for them, meticulously coloring the page with slightly uneven strokes of her standing next to the bike she wanted.

"It's not for meeeee," Holly whined. She flopped in a mild temper tantrum, sagging to the floor and hugging her mother's leg.

"Hold up, hitchhiker – I forgot the carrots and celery for the reindeer," Molly bit her lip as she balanced the plate of cookies and hobbled with her youngest daughter on her leg back to the kitchen. She limped back into the living room with the veggies beside the cookies this time. "Alright, who's this cookie for, darlin'?"

Holly said it like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Rob Frost the Snowman!"

Annie slammed her crayon down, making both Molly and Holly jump. "He's not _real!_ It was just a dumb story!"

"He is, too! I don't want him to kill daddy!" Holly shouted. "We have to leave a cookie for him, or he'll get us!"

Mussing her hair up all askew, Annie growled: "You're so stupid!"

"Whoa, whoa," Molly put a stop to the fight that had suddenly ignited. She set the plate down on the bookshelf beside their Christmas tree and pried her daughter from her leg. She squatted down to her level. "Absolutely no one is going to kill anybody. What's this all about? Are you kids making up wild stories?"

"It wasn't me, it was Lucy!" Annie leapt from her chair to defend herself.

"Regardless," Molly waved her over. When they were side by side, she held a hand to each girl's shoulder and looked them very seriously in the eyes. "There's no such thing as snowmen monsters, and nobody's going to hurt us."

"I know – I'm not dumb," Annie crossed her arms. This wasn't news to her, after all. It was annoying to be grouped in with Holly like she was dumb enough to believe in such things. "That's what I've been trying to tell _her._ "

Their mother shook her head with finality. "No more scary stories."

"B-but he just needs one cookie…" Holly blubbered, still stubbornly insistent.

Molly didn't see the harm if it'd scare the monster out of the closet for her. The cost of one cookie was a small price to pay for peace of mind. She heavily sighed. "Okay… just one cookie, and it'll prove he's not real. Is that fair? Where do we put the cookie?"

"Mom, you can't be serious," Annie groaned. _Why would she entertain Holly's every whim? She was just getting her way again!_

"Annie, you need to apologize for calling your sister stupid," Molly scolded sternly.

Annie wished her father was home because she knew he'd have her side in this. But he wouldn't be back until late to close up shop. _Be a big girl and look after your sister, okay?_ He had told her, but it wasn't easy in practice. Holly was always clinging to fantasy and whining to get her way. Annie always tried her hardest to be grown up for him, but there was only so much she could put up with.

Tears sprung to her eyes at the injustice of it all. "I won't! She's so annoying! You always let her do whatever she wants!"

"Annie!" Molly gasped. Even Holly just looked on in shock at her big sister's rare melt down.

"I give up – I hate being your sister!" Annie yelled as the final nail in the coffin. She shook free of her mother and sprinted away. She stomped to the room she shared with Holly and slammed the door. Diving to her bed, she nestled under the covers and finally let all of the self-sorry tears out.

The blankets were stifling, but they brought her comfort. Sobs wracked her little body as she curled in on herself, trying to figure out where this was coming from and how to stop it. All she could think was how much she hated everything – how unfair it felt in this moment. She hated sharing her room, her friends, her parents. She wished she was five again, and Holly wasn't born yet. Fresh tears spilled as Annie whimpered in the quiet room alone. _So much for being a big girl._

Annie suddenly remembered she left her unfinished drawing on the table, and her tears slowed. Santa was going to see it half-done, but she didn't care. She didn't deserve a bike anyways, blowing up like that. Annie would be lucky to get coal for Christmas.

She glumly rolled over and tried to fall asleep. The sooner this dumb holiday was over, the better.

* * *

Her eyes felt swollen from all of her crying, and she rubbed them painfully with her fists. Annie had successfully fallen asleep angry, and it felt awful. The wise words of her mother telling her never to do so fell on regretful ears. All of her limbs were stiff, and nothing but guilt filled her tummy. Annie drowsily looked about the dark room over to her sister's empty bed. She should've just apologized when she was told to. Her father probably came home and was mad at her, too. Annie would have such a lecture awaiting her.

 _Wait… what?_

Annie's eyes went back to Holly's bed. She squinted in the dark, but there was no mistaking it – the covers were pulled back and bare. Annie looked to the clock, thinking maybe it was Christmas already, but it was minutes to midnight. The door to the living room was open just a crack, and that room, too, was swathed in darkness.

Realizing the noise of the door squeaking was what woke her up in the first place, Annie shoved her blankets aside and touched the floor. Her toes were instantly chilled by the cool wood, and she shivered. She hopped down and crept across the room to peek out.

She'd never been up so late before. The grandfather clock was ticking deafeningly loud against the silence. Even the Christmas tree's usually colorful lights were off for the night, leaving the home eerie. There was one definite source of light, and it was coming from the front door that was left wide open.

Annie's eyes bugged as she located her sister just outside. Holly sounded like she was talking to someone. Her shadow entered, and Annie just watched frozen as little Holly ran across the living room in her white nightgown like a ghost and retrieved one of the carrots left for the reindeer. She ran back the way she came and straight out the front door bare foot.

More awake now, Annie opened the bedroom door all of the way and made to chase after her. _But wait._ Her feet planted. _Why should she?_ She'd already said she'd given up. If Holly was dumb enough to run around outside in the middle of the night, why should Annie have to get in trouble with her over it? It wasn't her idea. She didn't owe Holly anything. In fact, she could just go wake up her parents and let the firestorm of sweet discipline rain down. _Let her get in trouble big time. Then they'd see it was never Annie to begin with. It was all Holly's fault. Let her get caught._

Revenge fizzled out as worry overtook her despite herself. Annie ran back and grabbed her favorite hair scrunchie and cinched her long brown locks behind her neck. Running through the living room, she skipped her coat and opted for just her purple nightgown like Holly did. But she saw her boots in passing and quickly plopped down to wriggle them on, feeling weird without socks. She kicked the heel to fit and poked her nose out the front door.

"Annie!" Holly greeted immediately. She was standing unaffected in the snow outside the door on their lawn despite her lack of winter wear. A large snowman was built in front of her, and she had just put the carrot in for his nose. "Meet Rob Frost!"

Wondering if her sister had gone nuts, Annie tentatively shut the front door to keep their voices muted. In Holly's arm was her plush she always slept with – a grey kitten that had the stuffing squeezed out of its lumpy middle, leaving it limp and top heavy. She hugged it tight in glee. "It wasn't a cookie after all! He just needed his nose back!"

"Holly, you're gonna freeze to death," her practicality kicked in. She met her sister and grabbed her around the arm. "Come on, are you crazy? It's almost midnight!"

"Wait – say hi!" Holly said, pulling Annie back with an equal amount of force. She smiled in wait. "Go on, she won't bite. Rob, this is my sister Annie!"

Annie watched the snowman's coal black eyes with increasing discomfort and growing disdain. This was a new low for Holly's childish games. She huffed angrily at her sister who was a good deal shorter than her. "Grow up, Holly, this is stupid. He's not going to talk."

A weird sensation touched her hair, and she reached up to grab at it. To Annie's horror, it was a stick. A stick hand. Attached to the snowman. As he patted her head.

She almost screamed, but Holly was quick to interrupt her spinning thoughts with a giggle. "I _told_ you he was real!"

Rob gently patted Annie's head in greeting and stiffly dropped his arm back at the harsh angle at his side. He tilted his head to the side as he studied her in turn, unblinkingly staring back. He didn't feel as malicious as she initially feared. The fact he didn't have a mouth helped him look less creepy, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking with it missing. He certainly didn't _seem_ like a bloodthirsty monster. And he didn't have anywhere to hide an axe, that was for sure. Annie felt oddly at ease and wondered if that was because Holly was with her.

"What's that, Rob?" Holly asked. Which was weird because Annie didn't hear anything. She looked down to her little sister for answers. Holly stood on tip toe with a hand to her ear as if she was listening closely. She nodded. "A special place? To say thank you for your nose? That sounds like fun! Can we go?"

Annie didn't realize the last question was for her. Both Rob and Holly were looking at the little girl for permission. She wanted to shake her head no so bad, but she didn't know what to think. Ingrained lessons of stranger danger were thrown out the window as a sentient snowman stood before her, holding out his hand. Wordlessly, she took it.

"Yay!" Holly cheered and took Rob's other stick hand.

A flurry of snowflakes erupted around them in whirlwinds of sparkles. When they fell, they were cast in moonlight in a stony grotto where waterfalls spewed frothy foam from the mountain to calm, crystal pools below. A path in ruins led to a tall stair before them. Rob led the way, bounding in cute hops across the stone steps.

Holly was first to follow, running forward and taking the first step at a jump. Her bare feet slid, and she squealed in delight. She held her kitten tight with one arm and balanced with the other. With each skip she made, the water in the basin glittered in response to her presence.

Not wanting to be left behind, Annie hurried to follow after her, taking the stone platforms much more slowly. She curiously watched the light in the water follow, her, too. She couldn't begin to think how they wound up in such a winter wonderland. _Was it a dream?_

She got to the other side of the pool and eyed the stairs Holly was already trotting up. Rob disappeared from above, and Annie ran to keep up.

"How aren't you cold?" Annie whispered, wondering the same of herself with her arms bare.

"It's magic – duh!" It was Holly's turn to roll her eyes. Her short hair bobbed beneath her chin as she overtook Annie's steps and broke into a run. Annie picked up the pace and took the stairs two at a time to beat her in the race, ponytail swaying behind her.

Their breath puffed as they reached the top of the stairs at the same time. Both girls gaped in awe at the sparkling tree before them, adorned with a thousand faerie lights. Bundles of berries and knots of brambles decorated every branch, and icicles hung like brilliant strands of pearls. Turtledoves flew down bearing flower crowns they placed upon each girl's head, and the children giggled at the makeshift circlets. The snowman was beside two flat stones in the center of the vale, and he waved them over. He showed each girl to her seat and stood attentively behind them to watch.

The snow at the base of the tree seemed to pulse, and the girls eagerly leaned forward to see. Mounds formed into five trails that wound together and interspersed and made practiced patterns. They raced towards them, and the girls shrieked in surprise as – _pop!_ Appearing from the snow were five little elves in five different colors of the rainbow. They removed their stocking caps and bowed in unison, and the girls applauded them.

The sprites leapt up and flew, each ringing a different tone of bell. What at first sounded like a cacophony of jangles became a familiar tune, and Annie smiled. She nudged Holly who looked to her in question. "It's their song… it's the song of the bells."

Holly listened with new interest, trying to pick up the notes. She was struck with recognition, and she giddily bounced in her seat. "It's the church song! The one Mr. Perry talks about!"

Annie nodded in excitement. Out of the brush, forest animals began to gather from the weeds, shadows, and sky. The usually skittish deer and rabbits came to stand alongside where the girls were seated, and mice and chipmunks emerged in the open without fear. Squirrels, gophers, boars, and even bears all came together to watch the sprites play. The bells rang merry and clear and grew in volume. The tree began to glow brighter.

The stories she had long given up on as fairytales came flooding back to Annie like the return of an old friend. She remembered being an only child, humming nursery rhymes as she kicked stones, and setting cookies out with her mother for Santa. Then when her little sister was born, and she felt the excitement of gaining a new friend alongside the instinct to protect such a small baby as best she could. Her father had ruffled her hair and told her to be a big girl and look out for Holly. Annie had thought he meant she couldn't be a kid anymore because it was up to her to keep them both out of trouble. Now she understood he hadn't asked Annie to change at all. She was to keep doing what she had always been doing, but now with someone new to show how.

Annie left her seat and picked Holly up from hers. She led her sister by the hands to an open space and began to spin. "Come on, Holly, we have to help! They're summoning the goddess!"

Holly's smile grew up to her eyes. "Okay!"

She took Annie's lead, and the girls twirled and danced in the snow. Making up moves as they went, they spun themselves dizzy and laughed themselves silly. Annie couldn't remember a time when they shared such mirth as fellow kids together. All the while, the animals watched the tree, and the Harvest Sprites danced along with the chiming of their bells.

The song ended with a lonely, singular toll. Annie and Holly stopped dancing and looked at the tree. The red bell rang again. Then the yellow. The green. The blue. The purple. Spinning up from the snow and walking in like a dream, an evanescent woman with beautiful long hair placed a delicate foot upon the ground. Everything about her was surreal from her willowy frame like frosted glass to her flowing robes suspended in time. She opened her eyes, and they were the color of polished ice. Sweeping up her arms, a hush fell upon the glade as she posed in wait.

The girls scrambled back to their seats and quieted with the forest animals to watch. In another second, the goddess sprang to life, kicking her foot high with her dress and spinning in graceful loops. Each turn of her ankle and flick of her wrist jangled the bangles there. Like the tinkling of wind chimes, her movements caused the icicles in the tree to create music.

The more she danced, the more elements joined the orchestra. The earth thrummed beneath her feet, and the mountain grumbled with deep fire. The lake about her tree swirled to her rhythm, and the clouds above churned to cover the stars. Annie and Holly realized what was happening at the same time as snow began to fall in lazy circles from above. Both girls held out their open palms to catch the flakes, and the goddess finished her dance.

Holly and Annie clapped as much as they could, and the goddess smiled as she looked to them. Annie's breath stilled at the sight as she approached the sisters and fondly observed each. A touch from the tip of her finger sent the crown of flowers upon their heads to ice that shone in the night. Holly oohed and aahed at the crystal tiara atop her head, but Annie remained quiet.

With the goddess' eyes on her, she nervously floundered for what to do and made a shaky curtsy. _That's what you're supposed to do when you meet royalty, right?_ She had remembered the picture books that had once been hers that Holly had inherited and wondered if she looked foolish. Annie was surprised to see Holly mimicking her gesture, giving the goddess a low curtsy, too. Annie smiled a little surer and bowed her head.

They heard the goddess chuckle, and they looked up to see her curtsy back at them. Holly and Annie giggled to one another. Rob was at their side again, and he held his arms out for them to take. Disappointed the show was over but knowing it was time to go back home, the girls happily sighed and took his hands.

The little sprites circled the goddess and waved to the sisters in goodbye. Annie and Holly enthusiastically waved back as the snow swept up in curtains around them, and soon the forest, the animals, the sprites, the tree, and the goddess all faded from view like they were caught in a winter's storm.

As the blizzard raged to transport them back home, Annie turned to the snowman. "Thank you, Mr. Frost."

"Thank you, Mr. Frost!" Holly parroted. She looked to Annie in worry, remembering too late Annie hated when she did that.

But Annie buried the hatchet. She had been the real monster Holly feared. Not anymore though. She held out her hand to Holly. "Let's go home."

Holly was so excited at the gesture that she nearly dropped her kitten. She tucked it in the hand holding Rob's and gave her free hand to her sister. Annie squeezed it tight. The three of them made a circle that spun as they teleported back, their vision blurring as the snow blew by, and the wind picked up speed.

Annie opened her eyes and was startled to find she was lying in her bed. Her gaze met her sister's across the room in her own bed, looking just as surprised. The girls kicked their blankets aside and dashed from their beds to the living room and found daylight, twinkling Christmas lights around the tree, and their parents seated on the sofa in wait.

"You girls slept in this morning, hm?" Molly waved with her mug of coffee in hand and her robe tied about her waist. "Merry Christmas!"

Their father suppressed a yawn, not much of an early riser himself, and smiled at them. "Merry Christmas, my loves."

"Merry Christmas…" they both replied in obligatory unison, giving one another side eyes. Their parents were baffled when they suddenly ran back to their room and hid just inside the door.

Holly whispered first, bug-eyed and rather aghast with her cat in her arms. "We're back!"

"Maybe we never left?" Annie asked, relieved Holly remembered what had happened, too. She almost thought she had dreamed the whole thing up. The sprites and the snowman and the goddess' dance. But if Holly remembered, too, it wasn't all in her head.

"We did so!" Holly insisted, giving Annie's arm a pinch to make her believe. She couldn't let Annie doubt again. Her big sister hissed and smacked her hand away.

"They can't know – they'd never believe us," Annie said, referring to their parents in the other room. They had to be casual. After all, grown ups couldn't be trusted with this kind of thing. She smiled at her little sister and held out her pinky. "Our secret."

Holly nodded at the promise, shaking Annie's pinky with her bitty one. "Our secret!"

"What's this about secrets?" Julius called from the living room, overhearing parts of their private conversation.

Annie jumped out first with Holly close in tow. She smoothed out her purple nightgown and acted like they weren't doing anything weird. "Nothing!"

"I'm glad you've made up," Molly grinned, seeing the girls standing together with mischief on their faces. Changing the subject, she jabbed a thumb at the tree. "Did you see what Santa brought you?"

There wasn't anything beneath the tree, so the girls cocked their heads in confusion. Holly ran up to inspect it first, and Annie followed suit. She figured it out and went around behind the tree and screamed in delight. "Holly, Holly, lookit! C'mere!"

Holly began to scream and jump, too, when she met Annie around the other side of the tree, and Molly wore a satisfied smirk as she watched the pay off. Julius stroked her hair at a job well done as they had gotten up extra early to assemble them, and he placed a kiss to her temple.

Annie wheeled a brand new bicycle out to the living room. It didn't have the tassels, but she forgot to care because it was a _bike!_ It was red and white and shiny new. Holly wheeled a matching pink and white bike around to join her. Hers had little training wheels affixed to the back.

Molly was already laying down ground rules over the commotion. "—never in the house. These are outdoor bikes, so they'll stay in the shed. Santa's orders, okay?"

"Okay!" Annie and Holly chirped. If _Santa_ said so, they had to, right?

"But have fun," Julius finished with a wink.

Even though they had just been told outdoors only, Annie's foot was itching to push the pedal. She balanced with one leg on it at the temptation to ride. She looked to her parents imploringly. "Can I try? Can I try right now?"

"Honey, it's cold…" her father pulled a face. Annie was horrified at the prospect they'd shoot her down. _They would have to wait until spring?!_

"Well, it couldn't hurt. Would soften the fall anyways," Molly shrugged, muttering the last bit.

Hope rose, and Annie looked to her sister for help. She folded her hands in pleading. "Please?"

"Please, please?" Holly mimicked in stereo, giving her best pout.

"Out with the big guns, hm?" Julius teased. He had hoped he could relax in his pajamas a little longer, but there was no helping it. He certainly wouldn't be made the bad guy. With his wife's blessing, he waved them on. "You know I can't say no those faces. Get your coats."

"And your hats!" Molly called as the girls cheered and ran for the door.

All bundled up, Annie pushed the front door open and carted her bike out after her. Holly struggled to shove the front door aside and get her own bike through, but Julius appeared behind her to hold the door to help. Molly wrangled Holly back long enough to get a hat on her head, and they were out in the blinding sunlight.

Annie's eyes adjusted to the brilliant fields of snow and the dirt path they could use for their bikes. But her gaze landed on a familiar figure next to the house, now motionless. "It's Rob!"

"It's Rob Frost the Snowman!" Holly bounded after Annie. The girls wheeled their bikes up to him and each shook one of his stick arms to say good morning. Devoid of the magic of midnight, he was an ordinary snowman, but the girls knew better. They could still sense their friend lying dormant in the light of day.

Molly shared a perplexed look with her husband as he had heard the story after he got home. He could only scratch his head. He didn't remember the girls having built a snowman when he came home from work - purposefully late to hide the bicycles - but he must've overlooked it. Their mother got to Annie and shoved a hat atop her head as well. "Why name him that? Wasn't that the killer snowman we had a whole hullabaloo about last night?"

"No way!" Annie denied, shaking her head furiously. She parted her bangs from under the crotchet cap, frizzing them with the static of her gloves.

"Rob Frost is the nicest snowman ever!" Holly defended him, too.

"He's just looking for his nose," Annie explained to her parents very practically. "And if you find it for him, he'll give you gifts!"

Molly was surprised to see her using her imagination so openly again. She'd been a noticeable stick in the mud as of late, so it was a welcome change. She wondered what came over her. "Oh, is that right?"

"Come on, Holly!" Annie pushed her bicycle to a clear spot on the dirt road. She waited for her sister to catch up as she hopped on, and she pointed down the hill. "I'll go first, and you watch what I do, okay?"

"Mmkay," Holly nodded nervously. Her bike looked awful big all of the sudden. She fidgeted with her handlebars, unsure of how to mount it as easily as Annie did with hers.

Julius and Molly watched as Annie swung her leg back over and figured out how to drop the kickstand. Once her bike was safely balanced on its own, Annie went and held Holly's pink bike stationary for her. "Here, I'll hold it. Get on."

Holly silently stepped on the pedal and swayed. Annie directed her to clear the bar and then sit with her feet on the pedals, and this worked. Holly smiled bright at the instruction, nodding as Annie told her what to do.

"I'll run alongside you to the bottom. Bet you can't keep up!" Annie said, giving Holly a push.

"Oh, yeah? I'm gonna beat ya!" Holly declared. Now that she was mobile, the training wheels helped keep her steady, and she was confident she could easily outrun Annie now. She laughed in victory as she passed up Annie sprinting down the path and squealed the rest of the way down the hill.

"That's my girl," Julius smiled, a little misty-eyed watching his family. Molly bumped elbows with him, feeling a little sentimental herself. She hugged him close to share the warmth, thinking of her own big sister and the memories she shared with her of Chritmases past.

Annie slowed to a stop and watched Holly go. She was filled with pride as her sister figured out how to brake on her own, and she coasted to a halt at the crossroads. Annie waved that she was going to catch up after having lost their race, and she went to her own bike. She released the kickstand and gave herself a push, wobbling as she learned to balance.

Holly was waiting for her at the bottom, not strong enough to pedal on her own up the hill. Annie would help push her back to the top. And that was okay. That was what big sisters were for.


End file.
